New beginnings
by lucykoh
Summary: this story is not on how the marauders formed or how they broke up. Its how they changed for the better. Set in 6th year, marauders era. First fic! Please RnR


Summary: this story is not on how the marauders formed or how they broke up. Its how they changed for the better. (first fic! Pls RnR)

_**AUTHORS NOTE:**_ hey fanfic readers! This is my very first fanfiction so please! Go easy on me! ENJOY!

The rain beat on to their backs.

Lone figures in the downpour.

And one was crying.

James potter sat with his friend in a stony silence. He had never seen his friend breakdown like this, sobbing unashamedly, as though there were no tomorrow. Perhaps it was because of the incidents that had happened a month ago. When Sirius Black himself had to be stupid enough to do the unthinkable: reveal Remus Lupin's secret to arch enemy Severus Snape (known as snivellus) and send him down the tunnel where he had his nightly transformations.

Into what you may ask?

Of course, life was just full of irony.

Shy, bookish, Remus was none other than a fearsome werewolf. With glowing amber arms and a predatory instinct towards all humans, he became a monster once a month.

It was the highest of all marauders' secrets. And Sirius had broken it.

In the end, it was Jame's who rushed down to stop snape from opening the trapdoor where his death most likely lay. But it had been too late, Snape had seen the monster. It had taken weeks; months even, to get them to talk to each other. Of course, Jame's had been pissed at Sirius at the start, but in the end he was unable to stay angry at his friend for long.

No matter how many times Sirius apologized, Remus pridefully ignored him. And soon, Jame's took it to task to run up and down daily, trying to be the driving force sticking those two together. Mornings would be breakfast with Sirius, followed by lessons sitting next to Lupin. Straining on a smile when they were having eye beam (glaring) contests in between lessons.

Lunch would be with Remus and following lessons would be spent with Sirius, planning exaggerated pranks and sweet talking teachers (McGonagall's honor) and Lily Evans who unlike McGonagall ("POTTER! BLACK! STOP YOUR INCESSANT JIBBER-JABBER), irritably ignored them. And then, James had to try his best not to wince as Remus's quill scratching got louder and louder every time they opened their mouth.

Eventually James had gotten tired of the "_I don't need your comfort_"s and "_Either you're my friend or his friend_"s. Tired of acting half the time and watching peter scurry up and down trying to please them but ending up causing another spat. _Tired _of running from the quiditch pitch to the library 4 times a day (it was _a lot_ of stairs).

So with a lot of bangs and shouts, he finally managed to lock those two together and make them make up. Though he had to occasionally 'magic' out a flock of birds to attack them when things got rough, they still managed to make up in the end. Though things were still pretty rough between the two friends, they were still on tolerating terms.

But then, fate just loved kicking them and a week after the make-up of the marauders, tragedy struck again. Sirius's muggleborn girlfriend, Anne, died in a car accident during a visit to her parents.

As if constant fights for the past months weren't enough, Sirius became like a dead man walking.

Total zombification.

No tears.

No screams.

No other worldly nightmares.

Just a loss of soul and all things lively in him. Dementors had become next to useless.

And then, as if life could not get worse for the marauders, Sirius's parents could not help themselves but send out a letter (their first letter to Sirius in 6 years) to Sirius, to declare that they had officially disowned him, and that he was now an orphan.

And that's how two 16 year olds, barely even legal, ended up in the middle of Hogwarts grounds, skipping Charms and crying. James had chased Sirius to the ground after he had dashed away after receiving the letter and obligingly let him cry out all the tears he had been holding in since the start of the year.

"It had been an hour since he had run out of the castle in full girl mode, and had been sobbing out his worries for about half an hour, tops.

Its not that I love them, I hate them, you know I do… But now I'm alone James! I'm all alone! My girlfriend, my family, my _name_! What am I now?"

"You're Sirius!"

"No, I'm not!"

"_Yes you are_!"

"No I'm NOT! And Remus? What if he's been lying? What if I lost him? Then what more do I have to live for? You'll side with Remus of course and I? I'll be pretty damn fu-"

"_Shut up. Shut the bloody fucking hell up_."

It had taken half an hour of screaming and whining, but James had finally snapped.

Sirius looked up and saw him, looking frightfully angry. It was like the rain had turned into snow and they were all pinpointed at him. Sirius shut his mouth and edged backwards in silent disbelief.

James hardly swore. Just like his father, he had some kind of noble oath against swearing. Well, guess it was good as broken now.

"You're so damn bloody stupid."

"OY!" said Sirius with an air of rightful offence.

The glare only intensified.

Sirius gave a small snarl, though instead of looking fierce, he looked hurt. Almost like a lost puppy, he stared at James through sad eyes.

"Look, you're leaving me too."

"_What_?"

The whisper carried through the night, like a silent accusation.

Gathering courage, Sirius stood up and screamed into the chilly afternoon, his voice echoing across the grounds.

"THAT'S RIGHT! YOU'VE GROWN TIRED OF ME! MY WHINING, YOU CAN'T HANDEL IT! BUT ITS FINE! I LIKE BEING ALONE! IN FACT I LOVE IT! _LEAVE. ME. ALONE_!"

As quick as the words had flown out of his mouth, a punch came his way.

Sirius held his cheek as he fell on to the ground staring at James with an entirely new light. Almost like he were afraid.

"Leave you? Leave you alone? Like being left alone? STOP WHINING LIKE AN EFFING GIRL! WHERE'S YOUR MANLY SIDE? AND WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING TO SIRIUS BLACK? _HUH_? I KNOW YOU BETTER THAN YOURSELF!"

Sirius continued to stare dumbfounded.

"You think we would just leave you like that? It couldn't even take a werewolf to separate us from Remus and you think we're just going to abandon you in your time of need? GET A BRAIN YOU MOTHER FUCKER!"

A faint gurgle escaped his lips.

"And Anne? She would slap you with the force of a mountain troll if she knew what you were doing now! SHE WOULD BE ASHAMED!"

An embarrassed blush swept across his face.

"And as for your parents…" James softened at that. "Well you don't need them. WE'RE you're family. Not them. And you do have a name? Padfoot remember? Your inner self that humps people on their legs. You, me, moony and wormtail. We're you're – _you're family."_

A blink. A tear. A hoarse whisper.

"Prongs."

And that was all it took.

That one word recognition and a whole lot of screaming.

The two best friends hugged each other and cried, as they would later say, like PMSing girls.

They cried for each other. They cried for how utterly stupid they had been for the past few months. They did what no man (who wasn't gay) did, they cried.

As they got up, an idea suddenly struck James.

"Com' on." He said gruffly, as he led Sirius to the lake.

"What gives?"

"Look."

And lo and behold, there was a baby tree.

"Wow, err great." Said Sirius deadpanned, "It's kind of freezing. Can we go?"

Shaking his head stubbornly, James did something unexpected. Crouching onto the surrounding grass, he wiped his tears onto the leaves of the plant and motioned for Sirius to do the same.

Shocked and dumfounded, Sirius stared at him as though he were mad. "You're going to get a rash on your eyes." But at Jame's quelling glance, he willingly wiped a tear onto the plant.

Next, as though following some voodoo trance, James pricked his finger with a tiny branch sending drops of bright red blood onto the plant.

Sirius gasped.

"JAMES! Mate, are you imperiused? You've got to fight it! FIGHT IT! Oh bugger, better bring you back to the castle…"

"No, you imbecile, I'm not! Now prick your finger or I'll do it for you!"

Still looking at James like he had grown two heads, Sirius pricked his finger.

Now delicately, with a tiny branch, Jame's scrapped a couple of words on the tree's soft new bark.

"Ok Mate, we've GOT to get you out of this rain! It's doing things to your head!"

Rolling his eyes melodramatically, James just motioned to him to look at the newly carved bark. With a still panicked expression, Sirius turned to face the young tree.

A moment of silence rolled by, followed by another and another.

Neither of the boys moved. But it was the simple gesture of this peaceful silence that showed how truly touched Sirius was.

P+P+M+W=FAMILY.

It didn't look much, but it meant more than words could ever say.

"It's sort of like a family tree," James whispered, breaking the fragile silence.

"When did you become a sap?" said Sirius, covering up his emotions by snickering ever-so-discreetly.

"OI! Be serious!"

"I _am _Sirius, get-it? Serious, Sirius, bwahahhah!"

"No, you're just lame."

Sirius simply snickered to himself again.

"Anyway, I'm going to say something really sappy now so _you-better-shut-your-trap or I'll take more than just your blood again_!"

"Meanie, _humph_."

"Whatever. Now, ahem, I James Potter, leader of the marauders, takes thee, baby tree as a new start for the marauders! The rebirth of the marauders! And-"

"You're not getting married to it you know?" Sirius grumbled. "And what's with that voice? Are you Gilderoy Lockhart or something? Sheesh…"

"It's rude to interrupt, _snuffles. _Now make your vows after mine. I, James Potter, will deflate my ego, listen to moony more, stop showing off and be a better friend to everyone and-"

"Can't you stop with the I, James potter-s, there are only two of us here, and no way in hell are you going to be able to-"

"Forget it, Sirius, _your turn_."

"Naturally. I, Sirius Black, handsome and all around good guy and adorable animagus-"

"GET ON WITH IT!"

"Stop it James, interrupting is rude. Anyway, I will stop acting like a pansy, deflate my _slightly _inflamed ego and – and be happier together with my _true family._ The snarky git who punched me and-"

"Further elaboration is not needed."

"So is, and I will also listen to moony more."

"_Somehow I doubt that_."

Spinning around, to face the new intruder, they saw a very pissed werewolf followed by a very soaked rat.

"YOU STUPID IDIOTS!" He roared.

"Why is everyone screaming at me today?" Sirius asked the sky helplessly.

"Its 10 degrees out here in the rain and all of you are talking-TALKING-to a PLANT!"

"When he says it, you do both sound quite dumb," peter commented wryly.

"Thanks Pete, I feel you're love. Anyway, this is not just any plant! It's our BABY!"

3 blank stares.

James just sighed. "Shuddup Sirius. You make it sound like I had an affair with you. Ahem, let me make this clear. This tree _just so happens_ to be _our_ tree. Our tree. Our new beginnings. So moony, wormtail I want you to prick your fingers, now."

2 blank stares.

"James! Are you imperiused?"

Sigh. Here we go again.

Back at the castle, the four boys were greeted by a very distraught McGonagall.

"YOU FOUR! OH MY LORD! OUT IN THE RAIN FOR AN HOUR WITH – BLEEDING FINGERS! DO YOU WANT POPPY TO MURDER YOU? DETENTION! DETENTION FOR A WEEK AND QUICK, GO TO THE HOSPITAL WING! YOU'RE ALL GOING TO CATCH PUENOMIA!"

With small, secretive smiles on their faces, the four boys trudged up the stairs to the hospital wing, soaking wet but feeling happier than they had felt in the past 6 months.

After all, it wasn't a good day if you hadn't been screamed at by Professor McGonagall at least once.

**18 years later**

The war was over, and young harry potter was doing what he did best, sit at the side of the lake and reminisce. As he sat on an old willow tree, admiring the view, his hands scrapped by a patch of rough bark.

Looking down he saw a sight that made him smile.

Looking as good as new, there lay the sign: P+P+M+W=FAMILY.

It was amazing. How had the tree had braved battle over battle, student over student and yet the words still lay there, looking like it had been carved yesterday? As though protected by some form of magic, the sign had continued to resurface after years and years of the bark growing new layers.

"So you're my sister or brother or whatever? Right?" he asked the tree, rubbing the part where James had carved those words so many years ago.

As though answering his question, a strong breeze blew by, sending the clusters of leaves twirling around him.

Lying back onto the bark, he let his hands search around for other hidden secrets this tree kept. And to his surprise as he looked to the edge, he noticed a '+ L' at the side of the bark near the first P. A smile worked its way up to his lips once again, as he breathed in the memories of his parents, uncles and the tree had brought them along the path to meet him.

And as for the new letter found, that my friends, is a story for another day.

A/N: hey everyone! Thank you so much for reading my story! I know it's very bad and the story doesn't flow at all, but I hope you can still leave helpful comments for me! Sorry for any wrong grammar, punctuation, etc, etc…~ Tips are much appreciated!


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